achates | [DAY 0] TDM.

[DAY 0] TDM.

Error in final launch sequence:
Failed to execute MI command:
target remote localhost: 01633
Error message from debugger back end:
Cannot access memory at address 𝟹͚̽𝚡̰̍̂𝟸̠̯̘ͭͧ𝚌̭͉̺͖ͥ𝟿̳̰̒̇ͅ𝟷̦ͣ̉͌̅𝚋͓͎̈̒̀𝟻ͭ̌͂𝟷ͩ̓𝟾̦
Failed to execute MI command:
target remote localhost: 01633
Error message from debugger back end:
Cannot access memory at address 𝟹̖͇͕̃𝚡͉̹̯͇̻̉̓̂𝟸͚̹͈͓̩͚̲̼͒̾𝚌̱̠͙̝̪͇̈̌̂̃̄ͭ𝟿̱̜̪͓̳̹ͤ̊̈́ͦͥ̑𝟷͖̱̝̀̒̇̂̄̈́̓̇ͅ𝚋̥̯͉̹͛͛̊ͤͦͩ𝟻̬̮̈́̋ͯ͛̉̐𝟷̋ͩ̔̔𝟾̼
Waiting for debugger connection...
Debugger connected
Debugger connection lost.
Waiting for debugger connection...
Debugger connected
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Target is not responding, retrying...
Debugger connection lost.
Shutting down...
Rebooting
Download in Progress:
File download complete
Time elapsed during download operation: 00:12:33.131
Rebooting
Launching Demon Summoning Program. . .

You open your eyes to the end of the world, but you do not see it.

Instead what rouses you is screaming and crying, blood and tears: all around you are signs of life. Inside the overturned train, people begin to awaken, sprawled on the ground as if thrown violently from their seats, broken bones and bleeding wounds struggling to rise from the carpet of shattered glass from the windows at their feet. Emerging from the wreck, characters will find themselves at the edge of a dense forest, a towering stone wall at their backs. Bright eyes peer out from the shadows of the foliage, more and more blinking into view like stars in a darkening sky, but despite being drawn to the scent of blood that hangs heavy in the air, nothing steps out of the forest. Not yet.

None of the passengers can recall what happened, what they were doing on a train, where it was going- there's more they can't remember, but overshadowing the gaps of memory are things they have gained in return. A familiar item that is not theirs. A gemstone that feels lighter than it appears, as if hollow inside. And a device that wraps around their wrist (or rests on their head, or hangs around their neck, or however it presents itself to each character) that starts up on its own the moment the character turns their attention to it, as if waiting. Each character's COMP has a "navigator" selected at default, either "A☆L☆A" in bright neon orange, or "K5" in cool slate blue, although the presiding navigator can be freely switched between them.

Heya, boss! My name's Ala, your new navi!

You wanna know something really funny? Go ahead and touch the map on the corner of the screen to enlarge it. See all those little red dots? Those are demons out to kill you. Haha! You're surrounded!

Heya, boss! You can call me Keigo, your navigational AI.

If you touch the map on the corner of the screen, you can enlarge it and see the positions of all your allies. Looks like some of you are already heading out: see those little blue— oh. That one just disappeared. ... Try to stick together.

Along with providing a map with enemy/ally positions, the navigators will walk characters through the demon interaction, recruitment, and summoning processes, with advice varying between the two navigators (click to expand)

Just beat 'em up and force 'em to join! They can't say no if they're dead!

Nobody is immune to bribery, not even demons. What do you even have, though...? No matter what, don't let them get that life stone.

More demons incoming! Ooh, you're screwed. You'd better run! Don't worry, I won't tell.

Let's hide here. We'll wait here until that demon passes, then move!

Look, a body! Are they still alive? Wonder what's in their pockets...?

It's already too late to help. But better them being demon food than you.

Or, you could stay. There is nothing forcing anybody to leave the relative safety of the train. Those who stay behind will find the conductor's cabin empty, save for a small black cat perched on the headrest of the driver's seat that peers out with bright golden eyes at those who enter. Otherwise, there are no signs of a fight or struggle inside the cabin. Elsewhere, there is unclaimed luggage in the overhead compartments with an abundance of clothing and blankets, although characters will not find any of their own clothing except what they're already wearing. The dining cart is still stocked with enough food and beverage to last each passenger at least two days— maybe longer, if people keep leaving/dying... But at the same time, maybe shorter, considering the pervasive hunger that gnaws at the pits of everybody's stomachs, an emptiness that yearns to be filled by something... more.

As minutes stretch into hours, it becomes painfully clear that nobody is coming to help. Everybody only has each other, this town, its inhabitants. The forest is dark and unforgiving, near impossible to navigate even with a map. Strange creatures jump out from the shadows, eyes bright, mouths salivating, hungry. Strong hands claw through the dirt underfoot to grab at people's feet, pulling themselves up, mouths wide open, hungry. Sharp talons swoop down from the skies above, snatching characters up into the air, crushing skulls and snapping spines. Hungry. The demons here seem delighted to see such a feast wandering right into their home; those who are stopped for attempted conversation express surprise that characters are able to see them, but ultimately the hunger wins, and hunger does not listen to reason.

Casualties are inevitable. Blood mist permeates the air, and follows even as characters break out of the forest and across town, all the way to the fraying end of the world. Out in the open, however, the sun rays beat down bright and harsh, and those hungry eyes shy away from the sunlight to remain in the shadows, inside husks of buildings and thickets of overgrown fields. Characters will be able to find refuge in the greenhouse and the church, and some of the standing houses are truly vacant (as opposed to "surprise! there's actually a demon inside!" vacant); the only eyes that follow you are those of photographs hung crooked on the walls, of familiar strangers and forgotten friends. Look, there's a picture of you too.

Other locations require more caution to explore:

The sound of crying can be heard from the upper stories of the school building, thin wails echoing up and down the deserted halls, and human-like shadows peer out from the broken, unboarded windows, as if watching. A barricade inside the front doors makes it difficult to enter from the main entrance, and with most of the windows boarded up, the hallways inside remain dark even during the day. The smell of rot is prominent, heavy and cloying, especially in the auditorium-become-mausoleum that is littered with crushed bones, thin and brittle, every last scrap of flesh already nibbled away. A flock of demons crowd around outside principal's office, where a blizzard blows through the entire hallway, rendering visibility near zero and temperatures below that.

The hospital is also deathly cold, breath visible in puffs of mist that sometimes form into screaming faces, and when all is still and quiet, you look up and see yourself. Shadows form into mirror images of the characters who enter the hospital, silently approaching others and attacking once the person's guard is down. If a demon borrowing your face isn't bad enough, Phantoms go a step further and take the form of people who are close to your character: friends, family, foes. Exploring the hospital may or may not be worth the potential backstabbing, considering the fact that the supplies found are maybe not the most sterile, half the equipment is rusted or corroded, and a lot of the medicine is unlabeled tablets and capsules inside unlabeled bottles (essentially, take at your own risk). Moreover, hordes of all sorts of demon ghosts will bar characters' way down to the basement, gathering in massive numbers anytime somebody tries to descend. Electricity bounces around the top of the stairway down, while bright flames lick the bottom of the stairs; particularly unlucky characters may be hit with a confusion spell, liable to throw themselves headfirst down the stairs to be consumed by the waiting demons below.

Hauntingly beautiful music can be heard from within the concert hall, and listening to their song puts you fast asleep— possibly in the middle of the street if you're not careful— while those who manage to make it past the front doors are immediately frozen in a hunk of ice or electrocuted to a crisp before being kicked to the curb. The concert hall appears to be actively guarded, and it's clear that strangers are Not Welcome. Even the other demons keep clear of this building, drawn to the music but lingering far enough to not be overwhelmed. Characters may have an easier time of initiating conversations with demons from around town or inside the houses nearby the concert hall.

The crackle of electricity can be heard from inside the power plant's upper stories despite the blackout, and the entire building shakes from time to time, as if caught in a thunderstorm, or an earthquake. A slow drip... drip... drip... can be heard throughout the building, of amorphous demons clinging to the walls like mold and leaving puddles of caustic acid Everywhere. Anybody who enters the power plant's front entrance is met with a massive agglomerate of black Ooze that has expanded to fill the entire first floor from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, preventing anybody from going upstairs while it remains. Arms and legs poke out of the demon's body in places, desperately clawing and kicking, weaker, weaker. done.

OOC

Welcome to Day 0! What better meet-and-greet is there than everybody being tossed into the fray to fight for their lives? ('': For convenience, here are the game info, locations, and demon compendium pages; please use these as reference for what more can be found in the setting.

The characters' COMP will turn on only after they notice and focus on it. If they do NOT activate the COMP, they will not be able to see the demons or interact with them in any way other than being killed. Activating the COMP will allow characters to see demons and somewhat understand their language, with an added effect of allowing physical attacks to harm demons, and mitigating the damage taken from demons.

For characters who app and are accepted, please report demon recruitment here. Characters who are just tdming do not have to report. Recruited demons are inclined to listen to their summoner, but are not necessarily friendly at the beginning: if your character shows weakness, the demon may be just as likely to eat them as they are to protect them.

There will be no NPCs in this game other than the two navigators and some key demons. You're on your own for now!

This first event/tdm is open to the public, and can be used for test driving at any time after the game starts. I'll be keeping a pulse on threads for when characters have gotten their bearings and seem to have a general idea of how they want to proceed into the next day, and we'll go from there.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Me? I... [She's still not a hundred percent sure if this is Da'at or not, so it might be a bad idea to talk openly about Bethel. After a moment's hesitation, she just smiles and shakes her head, opting for a vague:] Not exactly.

[He's armed, though, and she has no idea what to make of it.]

If you can fight, can-- can I make a selfish request and come with you for a little while? There are people out there in trouble, and it will be easier to reach them in a group.

Hmm...

[Shun'ya doesn't immediately agree, carefully weighing the pros and cons. Not for himself, but for the young lady. It may be safer for her to stay on the train, since he hadn't seen hide nor hair of any lurking demon along its length, but... it may be safer for her to stay by his side, even if he was going to poke about outside. He can actively fight off demonic threats, after all, and he had basic survival skills, thanks to his mentor insisting he knew how to survive in the wilderness for at least a week (thanks, dad).

Decisions, decisions. Which would be in her best interest?]

...alright, you can come with, but you need to stick close to me, alright?

[A brief pause, and he added slowly:] And... don't try any crazy heroics. If there're demons out there, well... they're good at luring in those types. Faking human cries for help, that sort of thing...

[Ah, so he knows about demons after all? She nods.] Thank you. I'll be careful, but I don't want to ignore anyone in danger, either.

[Which may or may not entail crazy heroics. Sorry!]

Whatever happens, I won't be a burden to you.

Mhm, we'll see.

[Shun'ya's tone is wry, but he doesn't seem overly bothered by it. If she rushes off and gets herself killed via crazy heroics well... it is what it is. He'll try his best to protect her, of course, but he was pragmatic enough to know when things simply slid out of his control. Human free will was one of those things.]

Well, before we go on out little jaunt, do you have any combat experience? Got a COMP? That sort of thing.

I can fight using magic. And a COMP is this thing, right? [She looks down at hers and touches it briefly, a small COMP worn around her neck like a pendant.]

I know healing magic too, so I can support you if you get hurt.

[Or so she assumes... Although she hasn't yet realised her powers are missing.]

[Shun'ya studies the COMP around her neck, feeling briefly put out. Aw, she got a discreet one while he had to lug around this blocky monstrosity? It was strapped to a spare holster on the back of his belt, but it was still surprisingly heavy - definitely heavier than his pistol and tanto combined, at least. He knew it was going to throw some of his manoeuvres off, if he wasn't careful.

Some people just had all the luck, huh?]

Really? That's rare, a human as young as you knowing magic, that is.

[After all, an onmyōji like him took years of dedicated study and practice. But hey, the world was crazy, with prodigies running wild doing unbelievable bullshit. If she was telling the truth, then she'd be useful: he only had six healing shikigami in his spelltag stack right now...

(He also hadn't yet realised all of his powers were sealed, not just his summoning tubes...)]

But I won't look a gifthorse in the mouth. C'mon then... ah, excuse me. What's your name, miss?

Thank you. I'm Tao Isonokami. [She smiles, relieved that he didn't turn her down; if anything, he seems to be much more familiar with this kind of situation than she expected.] And you are?

[She has a lot of questions, but they're short on time, so sticking to simple introductions seems prudent for now.]

Shun'ya Iijima, but feel free to call me Rosie. Everyone does.

[Except- not quite right? He had a moment of uncertainty, that fogginess dogging his thoughts intensifying briefly. Certainly, Rosie was a nickname his mentor and demons called him, but he had been called something else more often than most recently...?

After a pause, he dismisses it. Not important right now.]

Alright, now that we're friends: outwards and onwards!

[And off he goes, hopping out of the train with complete expectation Tao will follow on his heels.]

Okay, Rosie!

[It's an unusual nickname, but she won't question it, carefully hopping down from the train. There's trees all around, and she can't see any skyscrapers or anything that might suggest a location.

It's also unsettlingly quiet aside from the sound of the two of them, but maybe that will change soon enough. Not all demons care to operate by stealth, after all.]

[Shun'ya's posture is deceptively relaxed, but his gaze was anything but as he quickly took in their unfavourable surroundings. A towering wall at their back, too smooth for him to even hope climbing it without any tools or demonic assistance, and a dense forest that hid dark, impenetrable shadows beneath its canopy.

There was nowhere to go but forwards, though, into that forest.

Shun'ya adjusts his backpack, slipping both arms into the straps so it was snug against his back and less likely to get in the way or accidentally slip off in case he had to get, er, active, and unclipped the flap over his holster to make it easier to quickdraw if need be. Ninety rounds. He'd need to count them closely.]

Okay, Miss Isonokami, please stay close to me. Looks like we'll need to go through that forest there, and it'll be easy to get separated if we're not careful.

[As he speaks, he gestures at Tao to come close, preferably within arm's reach. He wants to be able to grab and toss her around in case he needed to fling her out of the way of an ambush or something. Demons did like going for the weak link, after all, and between Shun'ya - visibly armed - and Tao - who was not - it was clear who would be targeted first.]

Good thinking. [Even if she can fight (she thinks), she's not too proud to admit it's safer if someone else takes point and she supports them, just as she had for the Nahobino and Yoko. So she steps closer to him, casting a careful look back at the wall to check nothing was perched on it, waiting for people to make their move to be picked off.

Fortunately there's nothing that swoops down to chase them, so they're able to proceed into the forest unhindered. She stays quiet, preferring to avoid conversation for the sake of stealth... at least until she spots a clearing with some suspiciously familiar red flowers.]

Let's go around and avoid those, just to be safe. Trust me.

[Shun'ya's on full alert as they walk through the forest, distrustful of its eerie silence and stillness. His eyes skip from tree to tree, keenly inspecting every dark shadow they crossed, his ears straining for any sort of indicator for an upcoming ambush... all the while he keeps Tao in his periphery vision, ensuring that she remains within arm's reach.

So, when Tao points out the flowers, he doesn't argue with her, just adjusts their path to give that clearing a wide berth.]

Good spot, Miss Isonokami. [A short, thoughtful hum.] By the way, I was wondering... just how experienced are you with demons? You did say you weren't a civilian, exactly.

I've fought them before, actually... [Well. No point in underselling it at this point. She exhales, smiles tiredly.] A lot of them. Those flowers looked like Mandrakes stuck in the ground, so it's better not to take any risks.

[She takes another look at his gear, but she still can't make much sense of it.]

What about you? You don't look like you're with Bethel, but you seem to know what you're doing, too.

I should hope so. I've been doing this since I was a kid.

[Well, not a kid kid, but he certainly trained for this at a young age, and was accompanying his mentor when he was still in middle school. On easy jobs while heavily supervised but, still. If he blundered into the middle of a mandrake clearing at this point then he deserved to get mauled, to be honest.

As for that 'Bethel'... Shun'ya didn't recognise the term, but he didn't let his ignorance show. Probably another faction? Not one in Tokyo... it sounded foreign as well. European, perhaps? Hmm, something to think about.]

Which is typical for my clan. They pride themselves on producing exemplary devil summoners, so I have high expectations to meet.

[As he speaks, he does keep the clearing well in his periphery until they pass it without incident. This does take them somewhat off the 'beaten path', thick roots threatening to trip them, and clinging ferns catching on their legs, as they pass them by.]

But what about you? You don't rely solely on your magic, do you? I don't see any kind of backup weapon on you...

[Devil summoners? Tao's curious, but she's being asked a question of her own.]

No, I'm not trained in any weapons. I mean, before all this happened, I was only really needed for healing. The angels and the others were able to handle combat.

[And she's just a human. Going into battle with a weapon she barely knows how to use seems even more dangerous her than relying on the magic she knows she's confident with.]

Really? None at all? How irresponsible.

[He says it unthinkingly, genuinely too surprised to properly filter his words. A young girl who has alleged access to powerful magic... not trained in any sort of weaponry? Where magic failed, cold steel sufficed in one's defence - or a heavy calibre pistol. Shun'ya wasn't picky, really. To just rely solely on magic was... well. Certainly a choice. Majority of devil summoners, no matter how mediocre, trained in at least two different weapons for the dreaded just in case scenario.]

Well, you're young, and it's never too late to learn. You can inscribe all kinds of spells into bullets nowadays, and if you're skilled in magic, you can make your... own...

[He trails off, his head turning slightly as he stops abruptly. In a purely automatic move, he eases his pistol partially out of its holster, his thumb on its safety as he scans their surroundings.

A shiver down his spine, a sense of danger... his well-honed battle sense is telling him that something was watching them closely...]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[DAY 0] TDM.

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